The Big Four: The Beginning
by BITcHnoO
Summary: Jackson Overland was your typical troublemaker, and born with some not-so typical powers. Hiccup Haddock was the boy who cried dragon. Rapunzel Gothel was a girl trapped in her own prison. Princess Merida who just wants to change her fate. The four of them cross paths, and soon to create a lot more trouble than they thought.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey readers, it's here. The Hogwarts AU I've been working on for weeks. I've mostly outlined what's about to go down, and I have manage to write a couple of chapters, but there's still a lot to be done. NOTE: I DO NOT UPDATE REGULARLY.**

 **Some things I want to put so here:**

 **\- A lot of the logic of this story won't be canon to the actual Harry Potter series.**

 **\- There is a scene from the PHILOSOPHER'S STONE book, which is weather forecast. (1)**

 **\- I am no genius. Edward Lorenz is. I suggest you look him up.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Jack Overland always knew he stuck out like a sore thumb in the world. From his total of eleven years of life, he always knew that. It wasn't as if he was horribly deformed or at least unattractive, his twin looked exactly like him, and he begged to differ that he was the better looking brother. Jack knew he was clever, not clever like Finn's gold medals that hang on the wall, but clever in a way that drifted towards ingenious rather than prodigious, his pranks were an authentic works of his required time, effort and creativity! And lastly he knew he was the much 'cooler' than his suck-up brother.

It has boggled Jack for several years now ever since the day he was born. Well, not exactly, because babies are dumb, but he never knew what was wrong with him, and Jack never really found the perfectly valid reason except that he wasn't a typical boring child.

The Overlands were a perfectly normal family, but unlike most families, they held a strange secret that took form in a young eleven year old boy, and that he possessed extraordinary powers, and personally he had felt like he was cursed.

Cunning, mischievous, and devilishly handsome, Jackson Overland sat on a stool in the kitchen munching away a bowl of bland soggy cereal. He stared ominously at the window, the sun burning the rims of his eyes. The television playing the news in the background, and he vaguely listened in.

 _"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's birds, or to be more specific owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster plastered a bright smile. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Tim McMuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Tim?"_

 _"Well, Howie," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting weirdly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! But I promise a wet night!" (1)_

Jack's ears perked up excitedly, grinning to himself, "Most mysterious indeed." He muttered animatedly, a trail of milk traveled down to his chin, and he allowed himself to wipe it with his sleeve, still smiling.

Finn came into the kitchen, carrying a thick book and a pen. His hair was a clean and slick contrast to Jack's unruly locks, and wiry "nerd-specks" Jack had dubbed was extra clean today, and his pants were pressed neatly, and Jack doesn't even look a bit surprised. Finn sat next to him, writing down equations on paper, and while flitting through textbook problems.

"Nice hair," Jack allowed himself a small snicker. "Did you spend five minutes smoothing your hair in the mirror?" He added in a sotto voice, " _Again."_

"So what? At least I don't look like a caveman with that thing on your head." He shot back. "Would you bugger off? I have to attend GEM later."

"You mean your nerd camp?" Jack said, shaking his head. "I don't know anyone who would attend camp just for math."

"You could, if you had any friends." Finn retorted.

"I don't need friends," Jack defended, little yellow pieces flying from his mouth then landed on his brother's glasses. "Everyone is too boring for my taste."

Finn glared at him over a row of unboxed tea tins. "Boring? You mean normal!" he barked, then proceeded to wipe his glasses vigorously.

Jack pretended to think for a moment, then said, "Nah. I'm pretty sure about it."

His brother gave him a look that strongly resembled of one looking at an ugly animal. "You're so weird."

Jack gave a half smile, "Tell me something I don't know, brother."

"Believe me brother, there's one whole list waiting for you… or a book… make that a whole library of things you don't know." With a snap of his book shut, he quickly withdrew a small pocket mirror, raising and started smoothening his hair.

"Did you just call me an idiot?"

He smirked haughtily at him. "Hmm, You do have a brain." Jack flicked his spooning, sending another wave of yellow edible grain, landing perfectly on Finn's hair.

Jack stared at his own reflection from his spoon, fingering a lock of bedraggled hair. His face was covered in scratches, nasty yellowing bruises, and a faded scar on the side of his brow, and it was due to being a personal punching bag to those Neanderthals that resided in his school. But they couldn't catch him too often, it was a good thing that Jack was as fast as the wind, and perhaps it was because he was smaller than most boys his age. He looked especially smaller with his hand-me down clothes from his older brother Ben, and the oversized blue jumper that curled over his knuckles.

He was Jack. Milk and honey Jack. Weird and knobby-knees Jack. He always thought the best thing on his appearance was his smile, but then that too went away when he started wearing his braces, and he had the misfortune of looking like a cheese grater.

He looked at his brother once more. Finn was palming his hair over and over in complete focus.

"You look like a light bulb." Jack snidely remarked.

Finn made a frustrated noise, "Shut up, no I don't."

An idea popped into Jack's mind. His restrained the smile forming in his face. He focused on his brother's hair intently, eyes locking in place.

 _Poof!_

Jack leaned back from his chair, arms crossing. "Yeah, you do."

At this moment, Mrs. Overland came in the kitchen, holding two cups of tea. Her hair was in a saggy bun. She had her eyes semi-shut, holding onto the fringes of sleep. She yawned ungracefully, greeting the boys, and then she opened her eyes.

Mrs. Overland blinked widely, still clutching the two porcelain cups. "Darling, why is your hair glowing?"

A yellow glow emanated that shone brighter than a thousand suns from the top of Finn's head. Finn quickly grabbed his pocket mirror, and _screamed._

"You little rat!" he said, launching himself from his chair, then tackling Jack. Caught by surprise, Jack fell hard on the tiled floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened; the moment Jack hit the floor, he had managed to halt Finn from pouncing him. Finn was slightly hovering over Jack's form, his face in mid-rage.

Jack quickly scrambled away from his position, dusting off his clothes, and stood up fully, before snapping the spell. Finn fell down flat on his face, quietly cursing.

"I hope there's an explanation for this," Mrs. Overland testily said, tucked her arms together in the same fashion. "And make it a good one."

Jack shrugged haplessly, knowing that he couldn't get out of this one. "Uh, He called me stupid." He tried.

She quickly assisted the younger twin, telling him to leave the kitchen. Jack fiddled with the string of his hoodie, nervously smiling, "I won't do it again."

"If you think I'm letting you go that easily, then don't bother trying." She snapped.

"It was just a joke." He grumbled.

She massaged her temples, leaning against the counter, eyes closing. "You must be tired of these lectures, I know I'm tired of giving them."

"Never ever show the power," Jack rolled his eyes. He's recited that mantra for years now. "But Mum! It's Finn, and you know him, He's embarrassed to even say we're related. He'll never tell a soul!" He protested.

Mrs. Overland shook her head disapprovingly. "Using your powers for your shenanigans is going to be a habit. Lord knows how much you've done, such as that one last week."

"That was clever wasn't it? Seriously, mum. You give me no credit."

"Be serious, Jackson. Lots of people are getting suspicious." She said, her hand gesturing towards the window that viewed several buildings that were similar to their own, a busy street filled with people below them. "Mr. and Mrs. Jensen are complaining about the strange animal noises coming from our apartment."

He rolled his eyes. "There's something called television, Mum. National Geographic? It's great."

"How about Mrs. Fitzgerald's cat that suddenly turned purple for a week?" Mrs. Overland interrogated.

"Those darn teenagers! I bet Ben was up to that one, that rascal."

Mrs. Overland made a face that looked like she swallowed a lemon. "Linus's piano started played on its own."

"Ghosts."

"Jackson! Believe it or not, People are getting suspicious, and Sister Kayla is losing her patience with you, it's a miracle that you manage to not get expelled." She said, exasperated. "At least I know you're going to be taken cared for."

"So it wasn't bad enough to leave me in that place? It sucks." He said, crossing his arms indignantly. "I can't shut my powers off like some switch."

"Sometimes I wish it was just like that." She said, placing hand down her weary face. She leaned against the countertop. She motioned Jack to leave her alone to think. A dangerous past time, Jack thought.

Jack had always known ever since he was born that he was different. Everyone knew that. Strange things happened around Jack, and he had trained himself to not feel so surprised anymore. Oddity was a daily occurrence to him.

Once, when he was a toddler, Jack had thrown a tantrum that caused all the lights in the house to go out. Another time was that he had caught a cold and sneezed right in front of his mother's rose garden and by the time she returned, the flowers were sucked out of their red color. And by the time he had aged six, he had managed to make Ben's guitar play on its own and conjure snowballs in his hands.

Jack walked to the living room to watch some television. It was time for some National Geographic. Jack stared at the sky, it was a dull cloudy gray, and suddenly an owl came fluttering past his window, and Jack was so mesmerized by the animal that he did not notice the stray letter on the floor, which ultimately made him fall hard on his bottom.

"Idiot." Sniggered Finn.

Jack glares at him, and sending off a less than pleasant gesture. Jack rose to his feet, rubbing his bottom, and picked the envelope up. Jack widened his eyes as he saw his name addressed on the thick yellow paper, and weirdly enough his exact location. There wasn't any stamp, but a purplish-red seal with animals he recognized: a lion, badger, an eagle, and a snake all surrounding a fancy looking H.

Just then the doorbell rang–– "Dear Lord, I hope it's not another one!" said Mrs. Overland frantically. Jack then decided he would give his mother a break, and opened the door.

A giant person was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden from his sapphire cloak, but Jack could only make out leafy green eyes and bushy eyebrows.

The man was looking left and right in the house. He looked confused, Jack assumed. He looked as if he belonged to a cult.

"Hey, we're not really interested in, you know, religion." Jack said monotonously, leaning against the doorway. The hooded figure looked even more baffled. "Down here."

The stranger stared ominously at him for a moment. Jack shifted his feet uneasily.

"You're not going to pull a dagger on me, are you?" He asked.

The hooded figure snorted.

"You're puny." The stranger chuckled in a deep throaty tone. At this point, Jack had felt a twinge of irritation on his forehead and the desire to slam the door on the seven-foot-something man. "I'm looking for a Jackson Overland?" He asked.

Curiosity peaked. "You're looking at him." Jack said.

"Well, this makes things easier then." He said, the pulled of his hood. Jack widened his eyes when he saw two long ears poke out, a snout, and whiskers to match.

"Jack, You're a wizard." He said, eyes bright.

Jack slammed the door.

His heart thumped against his rib cage, he did the one thing he could do: call his mother.

"MUUUUUUUM! THERE'S A TALKING KANGAROO OUTSIDE!"

.

.

.

.

This is Berk, a small island that is twelve days north of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death is located solidly on the Meridian of Misery.

It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three. Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so. And what really topped the cake was that Berk had a bit of pest problem. And no, not rats, or snakes, or crows, but something that made Berk… Berk… which is–

"DRAGONS!" screamed a common Viking in a blood-curling fashion.

Yeah, you heard that right. Bloody dragons.

Berk was the epitome of tough. It housed the greatest warriors, noblest wizarding families, and strongest thirst for victory. And one of those families was the Haddocks. Line after line, each member lived up to their name. Household names in the whole isle: Gunnar the Great Haddock, Snorre the Nasty Haddock, and Turid the Terror Haddock, and many more. They all contributed their strength and resilience to the community, their names going down in the history, not one a disappointment.

And then there Hiccup.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III, son of Stoick The Vast Haddock. Milk and knobby-kneed Hiccup. Weak and frail Hiccup.

Oh, Odin.

Hiccup wasn't the best Viking in his tribe. He knew that. It was stated a fact in some book somewhere, but he sure as hellfire know what makes a Viking. His father was a constant reminder to that, and the Berk Dragon Training Academy didn't help with their job of shoving their Barbarian beliefs down his throat.

He was eleven-years-old for Odin's sake! He should make his own decision, right? It was the ripe age for him to be sent away to a wizarding school. Hiccup sighed dreamily at the thought of attending _real magic lessons_ , not the ones they taught in Berk. Hiccup always thought that the traditional Berk magic they taught was a bit too primitive for his liking. Besides, Berk was too obsessed trying to ward of cold-blood flying reptiles, they didn't exactly have the time to sit down, relax, and read literature.

The last time Hiccup did that, he was beaten to bloody pulp by the village boys, and tied his fur underpants in the town square. Not a memory worth to remember.

Hiccup quickly ducked from a swinging axe going his way; it cut through the tree behind in half. He saw small tendrils of his hair landing softly on the ground.

 _That was close!_

He shambled towards an intricate stone house, narrowly dodging the heavy projectiles going his way. He ducked, and ducked, and ducked. Landing roughly onto a rough patch of grass. A red dragon spotted him, and Hiccup quickly deduced it was a _Hookfang_ which was a rather deadly species of dragon. AND IT WAS CHARGING TOWARDS HIM.

Hiccup barrel-rolled to a pose, then hiding behind, fitting his skinny frame perfectly. He felt the flames engulf the pole, feeling the heat graze his clothes. When it stopped, Hiccup scrambled his way, he jumped onto what used to be a cart, and propelled himself onto the roof, running, and running, to not be on time. He was already late.

Dragons weren't the only problem in his life.

Hiccup threw himself to the door, barging in like a madman. "I'm here!"

"Where in the bloody hellfire have you been?!" Gobber, a rather menacing looking blond man, yelled through the ruckus. "We're in rush hour!"

"Sorry!" He hastily placed his apron and gloves on. " I was too busy trying not to get eaten by a Hookfang!"

Gobber stopped, and glowered at him, towering him over his large body. "Hookfang? Hiccup, I told you to stay away from there! Your father is gonna have my head if he sees ya lying burnt to crisp."

He winced at his tone, but then said, "I'm just trying to help! I don't want to be a disappointment."

"Hiccup."

"He never listens, and when he does, it's always with this... frustrated scowl, like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich."

"Hiccup."

"Excuse me, barmaid! I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fish-bone!" He said deepening his voice enough to mimics his father's deep throaty one.

"Now, you're thinkin' about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like, it's what's inside that he can't stand." Gobber pointed out.

"Thanks for the words of encouragement." Hiccup dryly said.

Gobber made a frustrated noise. "I'm just sayin', stop trying to be something you're not!"

"I'm just trying to be one of you guys." Hiccup snapped.

"Oy, Gobber! Need some more axes." One of the army of Vikings yelled out from the window.

"Coming right up," Hiccup deprecatingly replied, stalking towards the metallic cart full of weapons.

"Oh, and a side of Arrows, but no mallets!"

Hiccup struggled to carry the load of weapons on his arms, his noodle arms were trembling to give up. He then dumped onto the awaiting Vikings, and liking hand feed to chickens, they all plucked their weapon, and went on their screaming way.

"Oh gee, No tip?" He sarcastically said.

Hiccup pondered if this was the life he was destined to do. Creating a bunch of hammers to sweaty Vikings. He felt the dull ache in his chest, as he miserably stared at the red night sky. He lifted a shield from his side, and he stared at his own reflection. A skinny freckled face boy stared back, with too-green eyes, and buckteeth. Matted hair, and a large smear of ash decorated him, and he was sure this was what a loser looked like.

An explosion jolted him from his thoughts, as he searched for the source, his heart had stopped, and perhaps started pumping blood to his enflamed face. The Junior Fire Brigade were doing they're rounds, and in the middle of it all, was Astrid Hofferson. It was as if time went in slow motion, his eyes stayed rooted at her. Her thick braid swishing gracefully from behind, her bangs plastered on her forehead that made him able to see her watery blue eyes, and another explosion erupted behind her.

She turned from her position and locked eyes with Hiccup, and he felt ice in his stomach. He swiftly ducked under his table, his face resembling a tomato. Hiccup slapped his cheeks to return to their original olive color. As he calmed down his rapid heart rate, he heard a bell ring, and not just any bell, but The Bell.

 _"The letters are here!"_

Hiccup felt his heart leap, as he sprang from his position, hitting his head, but he ignored the pain for a bit. He saw from his window, hundreds of owls in the sky, skillfully dodging the dragons, and landing on different homes, he looked around to see Junior Fire Brigade throwing fist pumps in victory, clutching letters on their hands.

Hiccup nervously waited for his letter to arrive, and thought started to scatter. What if he wasn't accepted? What if he was destined to be trapped in the island for all eternity?

Hiccup started biting his lip, tucking it in and out, kneading his hands together. It's been a while now. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise, awkwardly jerking off from the grasp.

"D-dad! You're here." Hiccup greeted, stiffly. "Hehe, the letters are here."

"Yeah, I know." He said gruffly. "You didn't get in Durmstrang."

Hiccup felt his stomach drop, his world crumbling down in tiny pieces. He wished that a dragon could eat him up whole at this moment.

Once again, he failed.

Might as well apologize.

"D-dad. I'm––"

"Hogwarts."

"What?" Hiccup asked, puzzled.

"You got in Hogwarts." He grinned, a rare occurrence itself.

Hiccup felt his eyes widen at his words, his mouth gaping enough for a thousand flies to come in. "Oh Thor, Odin, and Loki."

His father gave a hearty laugh, hoisting his son up, and twirling around. Pride entered his eyes, and for once Hiccup had felt like crying.

"My son got accepted to Hogwarts!" He yelled joyfully.

"Yeah, I did." Hiccup said, and he finally felt like he accomplished something right for once.

.

.

.

.

For Rapunzel's eleventh birthday, She requests for a double rod pendulum. She starts to explain the difference of it between a standard pendulum, because she knows if she doesn't go into specifics, mother will surely buy her the wrong present, and the conversation slowly turns into another one of passionate spiels.

She spends at least ten minutes explaining the dynamic behavior and the chaotic systems before mother cuts her off.

"Rapunzel, darling, is this another one of your little experiments?" she says unimpressed.

"Wha–What?" Rapunzel spluttered. Hearing her work and passion for the theory referred as another one of her 'little experiments' from a woman who couldn't tell a beaker from a bottle of polylotion was a jab to the gut.

Her mother stretched her face widely, looking disdainfully at the crow's feet forming around her eyes. She smiled tightly at her daughter, "Honestly Rapunzel, you're taking these things so seriously."

"It's theoretical, not practical." She exasperated, gesturing towards the illustration on the board. "This is based on thorough understanding the field. Do you think I can actually just use a double pendulum with its imprecise representation of it all? I can never replicate it!"

"Flower," She said in that usual clipped tone that designed for her to feel guilty of her about being so difficult. "What purpose could pendulum—"

"Double pendulum, mother." Rapunzel corrected.

"–Possibly serve you?"

Rapunzel went silent. Truth be told, there wasn't any substantial purpose to it, or at least not a perfectly practical one. It was just for symbolism, like a globe for historians, or a telescope to an astronomer. For her, it was a constant reminder to chaos, not just mathematically, but in life as well. Nature will not let herself predicted! Trust mother to never value the importance of symbolism.

And damn it all, she just wanted one. Wasn't that good enough reason?

Mother placed her hand to her temple, shaking her head in displeasure. "What about that swinging balls contraption? The one with the clanking sounds?" She suggested.

"A Newton's cradle?" Rapunzel guessed.

"Oh yes, that one. It's quite similar in fashion. It's the same kind of science, right?" she asked.

Rapunzel felt another jab, furrowing her eyebrows together, and once again gestured towards the illustration she provided. "It's not the same kind of science, mother. Newton's cradle is to represent the preservation of energy."

"Rapunzel, all I see is a bunch of scribbles." She pointed out.

"Exactly! This is the beauty of the cacophony that is chaos!"

"Can't you just ask for something that I can easily buy? In a gift shop for example." She asked tiredly. "I hear chocolate frogs are all the rage these days."

This was her chance. Rapunzel smiled brightly, eyes twinkling. "You could take me to the floating lights." She revealed a beautiful painting of herself staring across the sky.

Her mother frowned, but then smiled, "You mean the stars."

Then the familiar spark lit Rapunzel, and Mother Gothel once again felt herself prepare for another speech. Rapunzel whipped her hair to a window, and opened it, casting light to yet another illustration.

"The things is," she started. "I've charted stars. They're constant."

"Oh, Merlin." Mother sighed.

"But these, they appear every year on my birthday, mother." She said seriously, then looked back to the painting, her eyes becoming soft, wistful even. "I just can't help feel they're meant for me."

"I need to see them, Mother. Not just out my window."

Rapunzel turn back to face her, but she met only an empty spot, she looked around and saw mother close the door.

"You want to go outside? No, no, no. Absolutely not."

"But I'm eleven years old, I can take care of myself. I've memorized every spell in my books, practiced even! I know how to read locations, read through wizarding history." She said, hopeful. "I'm ready."

"You're ready only if I say you're ready." Mother Gothel growled, eyes narrowing. "Speaking of which, we need to practice some more."

"I can handle myself." She asserted. "A decade worth of training is good enough."

"No, it isn't. You'll get eaten alive, darling. Literally, cannibals." She said. "Poison ivy, quick sand, the plague, men with pointy teeth," She listed on before, she paused for the worst.

"–And Muggles, Rapunzel! Dangerous and awful monstrosities! Disgusting creatures." She spat. Her eyes glinted dangerously at the thought of the vile beings.

"I-I'm completely aware of their existence." She stuttered. "They're… interesting."

"Interesting?" Gothel felt a wicked smile on her face, before changing it to a somber look. "My ancestors were beaten, hung, and burned to death. Fed to the hellish fire of flames, dying of disease." Saying each word with utter hatred. She quickly produced an image of a screaming woman on a stake, fire engulfing around her, with Muggles cheering on with their pitchforks. "A bit of an understatement, my pet."

Rapunzel felt herself shrink from the sight of it, and she quickly hid behind her mother, quivering in fear.

Mother Gothel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It is okay, flower. No one is going to hurt you. Not on my watch."

Rapunzel felt a shiver down her spine by her words, but she could never guess why she had reacted that way. Her mother kissed the top of head.

"I will ask again: What do you want for your birthday?"

Rapunzel shrugged haplessly, a small smile gracing her fair features. "New paints?"

"Was that a question?" Her mother poked the top of her nose.

She giggled, "No, I want new paints."

Her mother grinned at her, kissing the top of her head again, and hugging her tightly. "Three days time. Go fetch me my basket will you, darling?"

Rapunzel did just that, and scampered off. Mother Gothel looked at the mirror once again, stretching her features for any wrinkles. She heard a girlish scream, and her blood went cold. She ran towards the sound, positioning her wand readily.

"Rapunzel!" she called. "Rapunzel!"

She followed the golden trail she left, and stopping at finding the petite blonde. She felt herself relax at the sight of her unharmed, but instead jumping up and down in joy.

She walked towards her, pressing a hand to her chest. "Dear Merlin, don't **ever** do that again, Rapunzel. You gave me quite the—"

But she never finished her words.

Rapunzel clutched the letter in her hands, eyes widening at the sight of it. Her hearts reverberating like a drum. No one, ever, in her whole life written to her. She had no friends, or any close relatives, she hadn't even set one foot out. But there it was, addressed directly to her, even her tower was written precisely.

Mother Gothel faked a smile at the sight of the envelope. The familiar seal was there, showing the legitimate importance of the envelope.

"I'm accepted, mother!" She cried out, "Accepted!"

"Yes, you did, darling." She said, "You did it."

Mother Gothel looked forebodingly at her, but Rapunzel didn't notice, as she was too busy reading each and every word on the parchment.

 _Phase two is set._

.

.

.

.

"Another attack, why am I not surprised?" asked Fergus DunBroch as he paced around the room, leaving dark footmarks. It had been long exhausting week for the king. Nightmare attacks plagued the kingdom more often now, the civilians were scared, and as king he could not be scared, no matter how terrified he was with it.

He was a DunBroch, one of the oldest and original families of the Wizarding race. The bloodlines of the DunBroch clan were rulers of their wizarding kingdom for thousands of years, and rumors of them being related to King Arthur.

Queen Elinor, his wife, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, staring at him with sympathy. She travelled down to his back, rubbing circles around him. "You're just one person. It's not your fault."

"It's getting more difficult, lately." He said. "My men can barely walk straight."

He walked towards the window, which showcased a wonderful view of the kingdom. Green surrounded the valley, and a large expanse of houses covered filled with families, and he knew each and every one of them. He placed a hand over it. He inhaled the air, then letting out a breathy sigh. The familiar smell caused him to choke a bit, dark magic smelled heavy, and most wizard and witches couldn't notice it.

"It's getting thicker, the evil," He said, frowning. "Not too long before someone can finally recognize it."

Elinor, stared at him seriously, eyes cold as steel, "You must alert the ministry. It's been two months since we contacted them about it."

"Aye, I know that," He hissed. "The ministry are a bunch of sea-monkeys in one whole congregation. They can't do anything."

Elinor looked at him with a mix of anger and worry. She turned, her braid whipping behind her. "If they won't do anything. Then we will." She said, briskly walking towards the wide set of doors, despite that she held her posture straight with grace.

"I will not allow them to hurt our family."

As soon as she stepped out of the chamber, she felt something impact her, losing her grace, and landing ungracefully on the stone floor.

"Your majesty!" The castle maid Maudie yelled in surprise, helping her rise to her feet, clutching the queen. "My deepest apologies!"

"Why on earth are you running, Maudie?" The queen asks, dusting her skirts.

"Well, you see, my queen," She started nervously. "The princess decided to skip her lessons."

The queen blinked widely, before sighing. "Where is she?"

"Uhm, I am not quite sure, your majesty." She laughed awkwardly, shuffling her feet under her long skirt.

Then suddenly a cry of a horse followed by sounds of arrows whooshing came in a distance. She looked at the nearest window, and there she saw it. The princess in all her glory, a blur of red, and green saddled on a hulking black horse.

The queen felt steam come out of ears, and then she briskly walked to the nearest corridor.

Merida DunBroch continued to ride her horse, Angus. She loved the feeling of air whipping across her face, her long red mane flowing behind her, and the feel of adrenaline pumping in her veins. She saw her target across her in a distance, she positioned her bow and arrow in place, she closed one eye and focused on the target, and she let go.

 _Swisssssh!_

"Bull's eye!" She cried in victory, and proceeded to shoot the different objects coming her way.

She looked behind her and saw her remnants, laughing all the way. She affectionately pets Agnus. No Lessons, no expectations, she wasn't suffocating when she had days like these. She grinned when she felt the feeling of freedom. She looked up, and her smile was quickly brought down. She narrowly ducked the branch that came her way. She steered Agnus to her right and then left, dodging the large rocks that wee on the dirt path.

Merida felt herself lose control of the horse. He was going all different directions, and it was too hard to control. Soon enough, she felt herself slipping from her seat. She was going way too fast, faster than she has ever been.

She was going to smash her face on the big tree that stood. She was going in fast, and she closed her eyes in the incoming impact.

But, the impact never came, she cracked open her eyes and she noticed that she was no longer galloping outside the castle, but instead in her sleeping chambers. Although Merida was heavily relieved of not becoming a pile of lasagna on a tree, she still felt the incoming dread. Her stomach curled at the sight of her mother sitting on her canopy. She was not happy.

"Busted." She said out loud. There was no point in hiding her deed.

Her mother stood up, her back pin-straight, hands resting together, as she slowly trekked towards her. She towered over Merida's short height. She glanced down to Merida's attire, raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

Merida looked down to her dress. It was covered in dirt and mud, and a rather large rip was on the side of her dress. She guessed that maybe a stray branch had managed to catch on the dress, and the tearing away it from thigh down to the seam.

"Oops." She winced. She was going to be grounded for a month.

"Merida Elspeth DunBroch, what in merlin's beard were you thinking?" She scolded, in her clipped, unimpressed voice that was usually designed for her to feel guilty.

"Muuuum, princess lessons are boring!" She moaned. "Why can't I just play?"

"Merida, you are a princess! It's preparation for the crown. When I was your age…" Elinor said, telling her tales as a young witch and her school years in Beauxbatons, Merida wanted to groan in displeasure.

There were a number of things Merida immensely disliked, and 'hate' being a too strong word for her, so the first thing was being burnt, she had once when she was younger accidentally set a candle aflame, and was so mesmerized with its movements, and touched it. She immediately disliked the feeling of her skin melting and painful surge it went through her arm. Another thing was a winter, she could never venture too far and it always left her clothes soaking wet, and how people could find it beautiful was beyond her. And lastly, she deeply disliked her princess lessons. It wasn't that she hated learning per se, but she hated wasting long hours of her day trying to learn table etiquette, and to restrain her large hair in a silly cloth, and trying to knot a corset. She could never fathom why princesses were so slow, were their wands so much tied into a tight twist?

"–Are you listening to me?" Her mother asked, eyebrows furrowing together.

"Yes." She lied, nodding her head frenziedly. "But Mum, I don't want to go to Beauxbatons."

"And why not?" Her mother asks, frowning. "It's a perfect place for ladies your age."

"I don't want to be a some stuck-up lady!" She answered shrilly. "Why can't I just be like the other children? Playing around in the fields, getting covered in mud, or at least not wear these itchy dresses?"

"You are a princess," She stressed, her eyes hardening like cold steel. "And soon to be queen."

Merida groaned loudly, clutching her hair in frustration. "Why can't I do anything fun for a chance?" She plopped down on to her bed, her voice muffled as she continued to rant.

Queen Elinor rolled her eyes at her only daughter, a sigh escaping her lips. Sighing was much more frequent when she was around Merida. Tonight, she thought, she will take another long visit to the wine cellar. She took a look around her daughter's bedroom. There was a pile of ripped dresses on one corner, a new racing broom by her vanity, intricate tapestry hung by her wall, and gifts from many noble wizarding families were display in a shelf.

The queen went to her daughter's side, combing her fingers through her thick red curls, slowly making tiny braids. Merida breathed evenly, relaxing to the touch. She spoke softly, "Lass, I know this is hard for you."

Merida grunted.

"It has been for years now, doing all this preparation… I know it seems very challenging and boring for you, but they are very essential to molding you into a fit queen, and I know your spirit, Merida. You will be a great queen, I know it."

"Maybe I don't want to be queen." She mumbles. Low enough for herself to hear. Elinor doesn't hear it, Merida thinks anyways because if she did she doesn't say anything. Merida's ear perk up when she hears a familiar booming sound: her dad's footsteps.

The big burly man barges into the room. A grin set in place, despite the flaming red beard covering most of his face. He opens his arm wide, and Merida springs from her bed, and lands roughly on him. Eliciting a low huff from the impact.

"Da!" She yelled, hugging his neck tightly.

"Calm down lass, Give your da some air." Her mother chided.

She loosened her grip on him, beaming a wide smile. Bright blue eyes shining in anticipation. "Is my letter here yet?"

Her father stared at somberly, putting her down on to the floor. Merida felt her hear encaged in ice. She fell onto the floor like a melted candle, the flame inside her flickering off. She could feel the burning sensation behind her eyes, and she willed herself not to cry. It's been a while since she was eleven, and she always told herself that they were just late. Her mum was going to send her to Beauxbatons, and she was going to be there for seven years and, and…

Her father broke into an ear-splitting grin.

He handed her an envelope.

With the familiar seal, and coat of arms.

Least to say, King Fergus managed to have an arrow seating nicely on his bottom.


	2. Chapter 2

**I decided to upload this chapter a week early. :)**

 **Please leave a review. It helps me a lot in my writing, i want to know if there's some things I can work on.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Jack quietly stood from his position, ignoring the several feet drop below him. He stared at the sky, watching the clouds pass him. It was a fair afternoon. His hair was blustered. The air billowed his shirt causing shivers down his spine. He licked his chapped in lips, thoughts in disarray. There was a lot for him to take in, and he laughed humourlessly at his predicament.

"This is going to be an interesting year," He remarked into the air.

"What's going to be interesting?" Jack jerked in surprise as he heard a voice asked. He tipped his balance, almost falling onto the edge before someone grabbed his hooded stopping from become a mess on the pavement.

Jack turned around, clutching his heart close, a scowl in place. "Don't do that," He huffed.

The girl in front of him laughed, a high-pitch cackle. Her messy dark hair was ruffling against the breeze. Tiny dots decorated her face, and Jack wasn't so sure if they were freckles or traces of a black marker. Her shirt was many sizes too big for her frame. Her pants were cut haphazardly until her knees that were also decorated with brightly colored bandages. To top it all she had a single hair clip that kept the unevenly cut bangs, but some tendrils manage to escape from its grasp.

Jack wasn't so sure if Jamie was attractive, because certainly Jack never really thought of her as a girl. She had this boyish charm that seem to radiate from her, a toughness that he can never seem to imitate.

"You gotta learn how to watch your back better," Jamie smirks at him. "Why are you brooding up here?"

He raises an eyebrow at her. "Am I not allowed to think?" He asks snidely.

She shrugged shoulder at him, tossing an apple to him, and Jack caught it with ease. "You didn't answer my question."

Jack sighs, and walks towards a wall, leaning against it. The crown of his head was touching the brick, as he stared straight ahead. Jamie placed herself next to him, eyes studying him. "You're uncharacteristically dry today. Did something happen?"

He turned his head towards her, head still on the wall. Jack looked at her for a moment, and spoke his thought. "You're my best friend."

The corners of her lips went up. "I'm your only friend."

He felt a pang in his heart, and wasn't quite sure what it was. He licked his lips, and then says, "Which is why, I'm going to tell you that I'm leaving."

Jamie's demeanor was changed almost instantly. Her eyes widened, and then furrowed her eyebrows. "Leaving where?"

He shrugged his shoulders, not quite sure either. "A school really far away. Scotland, I think."

She leaped from her position, and then landed gracefully in front him. Her eyes were swimming in a mix of surprise and confusion. "Scotland? You're not going to–"

"Nope." He answers.

"That's way too far, mate," She says. "Well then, when are you leaving?"

Jack looked away, looking wry, "Today."

Jack grinded his teeth as her fist connect his jaw. He could feel his head rattle at the sensation. He toppled over, almost losing grip of the apple. He touched his jaw gingerly, wincing at the spot he had been hit. He glared at her, his honey-brown eyes looking intently into her gray ones.

"Ow," He spits out. "Did you really have to do that?"

She ignores him, placing her hands on her sides, jutting out a hip. "You could have told me sooner, a lot sooner!"

"I was a bit too preoccupied," He says. His mind drifting towards his trip Diagon alley, and Jack smiles despite the pain, it was like a trip to the candy store. The shops were beyond his imagination, things that were so absolutely not normal.

"Doing what?" She snaps, breaking his flashback.

Jack shakes his head, returning his gaze, biting his tongue. He couldn't tell Jamie about his enrollment to a magical wizarding school. The Kangaroo man, or Professor Bunnymund as he introduced himself, specifically told him and his family to never even utter a single word about magical folk, and he ominously reassured Jack that they would find out if he even tried.

Jack silently gulped at the thought.

"Packing," He says instantly, and then shuffling his feet awkwardly. "And, um, school supplies and stuff."

She stares at him suspiciously, and then decides to drop the subject. Then they both settled in the silence, talking for a bit, recalling old memories, and planning for new ones.

"I guess you're not coming to this year's bible retreat." She said with a giggle.

He let out a snort, "One of the many things I'm not gonna miss."

Something in Jamie's eyes flickered, and she looked away from his face. A pink blush was spreading on her cheeks, then mumbled something he couldn't quite catch.

"What was that?" he asked, leaning into her.

Jamie's face became much more enflamed, becoming more tomato-like. "I said: I'm going to miss you!"

She then looked at him threateningly, a punch landing on his shoulder. "Don't you dare let me say that again," She muttered, despite being flustered.

"Me too," He felt an easy smile gracing his features; he glanced at the large clock tower, and did a double take. "I'm going to be late."

"Seriously, Jack," She tisks at Jack disapprovingly.

Then at this moment, they heard two voices coming from the other side of the wall. Emerging from the door were two policemen. They stared at them for a second, before twisting their faces into a deep scowl.

"Hey, You thief!" The one with the large mustache said.

"You're not supposed to be up here!" The other said.

Jack side-eyed Jamie, "Care for one last race, Jamesters?"

She smirked at him, eyes twinkling in excitement. "You're on, Overland."

Jack took a bite of the apple, and then throwing it towards one of the big burly men, which collided with his nose impeccably. The two then broke into run, edging towards the end of the building. He could feel his face split into grin, and they jumped. The air entering his shirt, and he landed onto the next building.

The wind touches his face, caressing it like an angel, soft fingers that touch his skin, and he's falling, and the blood pumps into his veins, pouring into the rush.

Jack ducked under a bar, diving into an open window. His feet were thumping loudly against the wooden floors, causing a ruckus. He ducked at a plate that was thrown at him. He heard all kinds of noise, a woman screaming, a baby crying, a man cursing at him, but he didn't dwell too much on them. He jumped out, catching onto a ledge. He felt his muscles burn, sweat dripping onto his nose. He lifted his body to another jump, grabbing onto another. He climbed up onto a roof, breaking out into a sprint.

He was steady on his feet, the busy city was background noise for him, and He jumped from building to building. He swung his feet, and landed effortlessly onto another roof. He stopped for a second, his feet skidding to a halt.

"Wow," He looked down, holding onto a wall. There was an owl opposite to him. Its pure white feathers reminded Jack of snow, and its eyes were staring at him unblinkingly. They were an intense blue color, contrasting against the stark white. It was unblemished, too perfect. He was enraptured by it's beauty.

Jack wondered if it had just sent a letter to another child, and he wasn't quite sure. It was way too late for it to message another young wizard. There weren't that much sight of them either in the city either.

A car honk broke the spell (ha! Jack was too funny). He blinked once, and then twice, the owl had disappeared as if it wasn't there. Jack couldn't hear the sounds of its wings flapping. Was he really just imagining it? He shook his head, he couldn't dawdle too much, and he was going to lose the race if he stayed.

Jack leaped off from his position, sliding down the slope of a roof, and then jumping down onto the balcony. Then maneuvering his body into a small window, grabbing onto a metal pipe, which creaked dangerously, bending down from his weight, he swung his body onto a roof. He landed on to it, but his ankles shook from the sharp pain, causing him to tip over, falling onto the slope it. Eyes widened at the large gap that he rapidly nearing, and the height of it. He prepared himself for the large jump. He grit his teeth as he jumped, his muscles screaming.

"OH CRAP!" He yelled.

He gripped onto the steel railing, his breath labored, scrambling onto solid surface. His rib cage felt like it was shattered from the hard collision with the metal fence, and his lungs ached for air. He swallowed, and then rested his palms onto his knees. He looked around, and no sight of Jamie.

"Well, looks like I win!"

He heard a gruff sound from behind, he turned and he felt the grin melt off his face.

"Hey, Mr. Fredrickson." He greeted awkwardly. "Nice meeting you here…Well, obviously this is your apartment, since your standing…here."

Jack huffed as the man lifted him from the back of his shirt, dragging him to his apartment door, which was fortunately across the hall. Jack pursed his lips in annoyance as his feet dangled from the floor.

Mr. Fredrickson rang the doorbell, and Jack heard feet scurry into the door, and his mother opened the door and Jack was dropped down onto the ground like a pile of trash. Without saying a word, the older man left, and retreated back into his apartment, leaving a loud slam behind.

"I feel another lecture coming on," Jack grumbled.

"Not today, Jackson." She said. "We don't have time for that. Now go grab your things."

"Thank you Sir!" She yelled in the hallway before heading back in, "Your siblings are already in the taxi, I'll wait here."

Jack went into his shared bedroom with Finn, and took a moment to linger. His side of the room was neatly put away. His bed was tucked in, and his posters were still up, the broken alarm clock, but some things were obviously missing like books, pictures, and clothes. He looked at Finn's side of the room, it was obviously neat, and organized, but there was still traces of Finn, and what defined him. Then taking in the entire room, drinking the sight of the four walls he's known well. He couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic at the bareness of his side.

He looked at the single rickety old wooden window. The light casting a yellow hue onto the room, and he moved closer. He basked in its warmth, and sending of a silent farewell to the city and its people.

"Hey!" Jamie greets, poking her head out from below the window.

"Oh jeez!" He jerks in surprise. He narrows his eyes at her. "Didn't I tell you to not do that?"

"I couldn't help myself," She grins, propping her elbows onto the window's ledge. "So this it, huh?"

"I'm coming back for the holidays," He assures her.

"Yeah, but it's going to be a while before we see each other again." She said.

He lets out a breath, "It's a bit scary, and honestly I'm really excited," He admits.

"Really? Then I'm happy for you, truly." She says genuinely.

"Thanks," He replies, cracking a smile.

They both turned at the sound of his mother calling for him, telling him that they were going to be late.

"Take care of Emma for me, kay?" He asked.

"I will." She assured, lifting her fist, and he followed the action, and then knocked each other's knuckles. "See ya later," saluting him.

"Alligator." He responded lightly, and shut the door.

.

.

.

Hiccup waited patiently for Gobber, who was finding the rest room, because apparently it wasn't okay for people to just go around and relieved in a bush. He had quickly spotted platform 9¾, and it didn't really take long before he saw other magical families pass him and enter the wall _–errr, passage way._

Hiccup was very calm, but he couldn't deny the excitement that bubbled in his stomach. He was finally here, or at least almost there, just one train ride away, and he could finally see the castle, and finally learn something.

Hiccup felt a bit nervous as people surrounded him. He felt a bit out of place with his attire, a fur vest and loose green long sleeve. He had a number of questionable items on his trolley cart. He knew he stood out a bit more than the crowd.

He was a long way from home, and Hiccup instantly realized how remote the island really was from civilization. They were totally behind from the newest gadgets London has gained. Clothes were a lot different, and so were people. He knew he stuck out like a sore thumb.

And really, the only thing he has it going was that the weather was a lot better than Berk.

He could hear the snickers from the other kids, and Hiccup tried to ignore the insecurity creeping into him, and the speeding trolley that was about to crash into his.

 ** _Bam!_**

Hiccup felt his whole frame shake as his trolley rattled at the sudden impact. He steadied himself, as he gripped the metal bar tightly. His calmed his heart rate down as he glared at the culprit, or tried to. He wasn't a very menacing guy.

It was a short boy with a mop of brown hair. The boy smiled sheepishly, and scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously. He opened his mouth, and Hiccup tried not to stare at the wiry metal on his teeth. "Oops, Sorry for ramming into you like that. I wasn't looking."

"I guessed." Hiccup said, irritation fading away "Hogwarts?"

"Yes, Oh my God, Hogwarts." He said, nodding his head fervently. "Mate, you're like my savior right now, I've been looking for platform nine and three-quarters for forever now. I seriously thought for a moment this was just a huge prank on me."

Hiccup smiled at him, shaking his head. Muggle-born, he thought. "Well, uh, mate." He tried to say, but ended up sounding completely awkward. "This is it."

The boy stared at the wall, then looked back at Hiccup with a flat look. "Are you serious?"

Hiccup nodded.

"I'm going home." He stated loudly, but before he could move his trolley. Ruffnut and Tuffnut came barging in, fighting as usual.

"I go in first!" yelled Ruffnut, as she rammed her trolly against her brother's.

"No, I do!" He yelled back, imitating the action.

The duo both thrust their trolleys in full force, speedily into the brick wall, then disappearing into it. The traces of their loud fighting were still lingering into the air.

The boy gawks at the scene that transpired, before breaking into a grin. "That was wicked!"

"Jack, there you are!" yells a woman, in similar coloring of the boy next to him. Trailing behind her was a set of similar-looking children, and Hiccup noted a boy who was a bit too similar to the boy next to him, or now he dubbed 'Jack'.

Jack turned to him, stretching his hand to him. Hiccup felt a foreign feeling creep into him, and it was very earnest. Hiccup lifted his hand, and shook it. It was rough, and had calluses in areas, but Hiccup didn't mind it, his own hand was rough from all the handiwork in the workshop.

"I'm Jack Overland." He introduced himself, an impish smirk on his face.

"Hiccup Haddock." He said, and ignored the snort that came after.

Jack then returned to his family, chatting amiably to them. His mother fussing over him, the older look brother ruffled the top of his head, and the youngest who was crying uncontrollably. He cocked his head at the sight, thinking about warmth that emanated from them. A hand clamped down onto his shoulder, and Hiccup jerked from the contact.

"Gobber?" He looks up, raising a petulant eyebrow at him. "Took you long enough."

"Aye, aye, quit yer complainin'," He says, staring at the family before him. "Yer da really wanted to see you off, ye know?"

Hiccup was silent, staring forlornly at Jack's annoyed expression.

"But there were some _really_ _really_ important matters he had to do, and it's important for him to do what's best for–"

"–For the tribe, right?" He inserts knowingly. He gives Gobber a tight smile. "Got it, I really do."

Gobber gives Hiccup a side hug. "Soooo, what have you been up to while I was gone, huh? Loki knows how much of a troublemaker you really are."

Hiccup's immediate response was to say nothing, but once again looked at Jack as he rammed his trolley into the wall, disappearing from sight.

"I think I made a friend."

.

.

.

"You're all set now? You got everything in your trunk?" Mother Gothel asked, as she fretted over her daughter, who was getting exhausted over her mother's rambling. "Do you have your wand with you? Are you sure you can do this?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes, Mother," She answers, smiling tightly.

Her mother stared back at her daughter. Looking at her with so much scrutiny that made Rapunzel a bit uncomfortable. Rapunzel diverts her attention to the children behind her, who were bawling, hugging, and laughing with their parents. She furrows her eyebrows together, certainly didn't feel anything like that towards her mother. Rapunzel tucked her bottom lip under her teeth, feeling the gnawing guilt that settled in her.

She loved her mother, she really did, but wasn't quite sure about the relief that she felt when she received her letter. She concluded that it was perhaps she was finally free from her mother's over-protectiveness.

Rapunzel froze as her mother reached towards ear. She tried to look nonchalant as her mother's face morphed into a deep scowl. Rapunzel continued smile dumbly, hoping that she wouldn't notice.

"Oh Rapunzel," She started. Rapunzel clenched her fists, half-moons forming into the skin. "There's a lose strand here."

Rapunzel refrained to release a sigh in relief. Her mother carefully tucked in the loose hair behind her ear. Rapunzel beamed, and she felt her lips stretch like a rubber band.

"I'm ready," She said.

Her mother cupped her cheeks, and angled her head low enough for her to kiss the top of it. A small smile played on her cheeks. "I love you."

"I love you more," She replied.

"I love you most," She said finally, landing another kiss. "Now go, before you miss your train."

"Yes, mother!" She responded cheerfully. As she made her way, she felt a strong grip on her wrist that she almost cried out in pain. She was shoved into a strong embrace, almost bone-crushing. Rapunzel struggled breath, but chose to not move.

Her mother leaned in close, lowering her voice only for her hear. _"Do not disappoint me."_ She whispered into her ear. With that, Rapunzel watched her retreating figure blending into the crowd before dissolving in it completely, and vanish. The words echoed into her ear, reverberating into her skull.

She gently rubbed her wrist, the pain soon diminishing. She pushed her trolley towards the train, stopping next to young girl with an intricate snow-white braid. She had a deathly pale complexion, almost a blue tint. Tiny freckles still dusted on her button-nose. Her clothes were expensive-looking, but she wore too many layers that it covered nearly every inch of her skin. Rapunzel carefully lugged her trunk onto the load, and couldn't help but notice the girl who was staring at her trolley anxiously, as if she was absolutely petrified.

Rapunzel chose to ignore her, but then started hearing a bullet fast mantra from the girl. Deciding that she was going to start making a line behind her, Rapunzel put on a polite smile.

"Hello, are you alright?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

The girl, who looked like she saw a ghost, immediately shoved her hands into the pockets of her dress. She whipped her head towards Rapunzel, plastering a polite smile of her own. "Oh yes, I'm fine."

"Well, you seem really scared of your luggage," Rapunzel pointed out.

The girl smiled tighter, "Well, I'm a bit of a germaphobe. My sister, Anna, she really likes keeping her hands dirty, if you know what I mean."

Rapunzel doesn't really buy it, but tries to help her anyways. "My mother packed me these gloves for the winter, but I already packed a lot of them, and they were a bit too big for me anyways. So, uh here."

The pale girl accepted it, putting it on her dainty hands. "Thank you." She softly said.

"It's no problem." She replied.

The girl looked up from her lashes, and Rapunzel thought how unfair how pretty she was, "I'm Elsa." She softly introduced herself, but loud enough for her to be heard over the hoots of owls and chatter.

"Rapunz–Oof!" She yelped as she felt her back collide with a hard metal, feeling a twinge of annoyance. She whipped her head back, and saw red.

Literally.

"Ey, you're blocking up the line, Lass!" The redheaded girl yelled, throwing her fist in the hair, her hair bouncing in every moment. "Move it!" She huffed.

Elsa who quickly placed her trunks into the load, quickly shuffled away without a goodbye. Her snow-colored braid swaying behind her. Rapunzel continued to stare at the fiery girl who was dressed in deep forest green long sleeve, and a pair of wool tights that were tucked in sturdy looking boots.

"What are you looking at?" The girl snapped. She haphazardly tossed the trunk into the train, a resounding thump was heard inside. Her blue eyes were bright like illuminated pools of water. Rapunzel almost thought the girl would spit down onto the floor.

Rapunzel smiled in amusement. "Red hair, blue eyes, spit-fire attitude..." She listed off. "You must be a DunBroch."

The girl half-smirked, she stretched her arm, and Rapunzel shook on it firmly. "The name's Merida."

"Rapunzel." She introduced herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Merida grinned, scratching her chin in mock-thought. "Hmm let's see, odd name, too-polite attitude, and Whew! Who could ever forget those green eyes?" She snaps her fingers as if she found an epiphany. "You must be a Gothel."

"You are correct." She says, impressed.

Merida wrinkles her nose slightly. Rapunzel could feel the judging eyes on her now. It was common wizard knowledge to know the existing pureblood families, and especially as exclusive as the one she was born into. No matter how arrogant it sounded, it was basically royalty. Rapunzel never truly believed it, if her entire family was strictly pureblood, then by the twentieth century her family would have been long diminished. Though, she rather didn't like to correct her mother in this sort of topic, Rapunzel had always thought her mother's beliefs were a bit too extreme.

The whistle blew above them. Merida looking like she was contemplating hard, shrugged her shoulders. "Wanna sit together?"

Rapunzel paused, then ultimately accepted.

.

.

.

Merida stared at the moving scenery before her, the grasslands reminding her of her kingdom. A large expanse of green and forestry made her dream of riding along it with Angus. The cool surface of the window was pressed against her cheek, she felt the urge to open the window and feel wind whip past her, and her hair trailing behind her like a flaming river. Her bow rested beneath her fingertips. The sound of paper flipping broke her trance, and her eyes flickered towards the golden-haired lass.

She wasn't quite sure if she could trust the girl. Merida wasn't blind to the news of the wizarding world. She could practically hear her parents' worries in the walls of her bedchambers, and kept quiet about their nightly visits to the wine cellar. She knew that the Gothel family was reputable for their large lines of dark wizards, and with rumors of the Nightmare King was still high in the air, it was a bit of a coincidence.

She glanced at Rapunzel who was preoccupying herself with a weighty book that was weathered, obviously from seen quite a bit of use. Her posture was straight, and look effortlessly elegant. Merida slouched, trying to get a peek of what she was reading that looked so damn interesting.

Ugh.

"Nonlinear Dynamics," She said suddenly, and Merida almost fell off her seat in surprise. "And Chaos." She added with a curve of her lip.

"What?" She asked.

"The book I'm reading." She lifted her book, the title in big bold letters. "You're curious, huh?"

"Well, yeah." She said, lifting her hands high above her head, "You've been reading that thing the moment we got on, so yeah, I'm curious."

"Have you heard about the chaos theory before?" Rapunzel asks, and then showing a page that feature a picture of a man, "Edward Lorenz?"

Merida shakes her head.

Rapunzel felt a spark lit inside her. "It deals with really complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small modifications can increase into extremely great consequences…with math."

Merida blinks at her, and then shakes her head.

Rapunzel thinks a bit, trying to carefully word it in place. "Well I guess you could associate it with the butterfly effect."

"Butterfly effect?" Merida echoed.

"A butterfly flapping its wings today may lead a devastating hurricane weeks from now," She said, and then produced a pink butterfly, illuminating the room with a pink glow, "Something like that"

"Oh, I think I get it." Merida said, nodding. "Kind of like altering your fate by a single deed?"

"I guess you could say that." Rapunzel said, shrugging, and then produced several more butterflies.

Merida opened her mouth for another question, before the brash entrance of short boy with hair similar to animal carcass, followed by a tall skinny one, interrupted her. The girls blinked widely at them, staring at them in surprise.

"Hey ladies, have you seen a toad? My friend, Hiccup, here lost his." The boy gestured towards the awkward lanky boy next to him. He stared at the projection of butterflies in amazement, his mouth spreading into a wide grin. Both girls stared at the boy's teeth that were barbed with metal. "Oh wow, you're doing magic? Well, let's have a look then."

The butterflies slowly flapped their tiny wings, and then dropped down onto the floor, like dead insects, and dematerialized into nothing.

"Not very impressive," He says, and then purses his lips. His eyes widens at the unoccupied seats. "Oh hey, could we sit here? Everywhere else is full."

At this moment, Merida resolutely declined and Rapunzel nodded quietly.

"We don't want any smelly boys here. Especially with a garden gnome like you," Merida hisses, shuddering at the thought. She had the misfortune of having a trio of wee devils as brothers. Rapunzel raised her brow at the word 'we'. She then rolled her eyes, and decided to return to her book.

"Who you talking garden gnome!? You bigheaded orangutan!" Jacks bites back.

Jack taking offense frowned deeply. Hiccup looked nervously at the sparks flying between them. Hiccup, who seemingly recognizes who she was, bugs out. Merida honestly thought the boy was mute.

"Do you know who that is, Jack? She's Merida _DunBroch_ The Girl who lived, and heir to the friggin' DunBroch clan." He whispers to him, but Merida manages to pick it up. She clutches her arm tightly in defense, frowning slightly at her titles.

Jack doesn't give Hiccup a backwards glance, proceeds to glare at the flaming red head. "It's funny you should say that because I'm Jack Overland. The boy who literally gives zero fu–"

"Merida!" Rapunzel yelped, staring widely at the girl. Merida startled by her reaction, whips into her direction. "What is it, Lass?" she snaps.

"I… you… hair," Rapunzel stutters, pointing at her, "Uh…"

"Spit it out already!" She hisses.

"To…Merida, on the top of your head, there's a…" She trails off, and then swallows. She glances towards the boys, "I think I've found your toad."

It takes at least five second for it to sink in, until Merida screeches shrilly. Her hands flew into her hair, causing her red mane to grow in size. The toad was jumping around her head, avoiding her swatting.

Rapunzel sprung from his seat to aid her, digging her hands into the red jungle. The two boys then entered into the compartment, shoving their own into hair.

"You're going to kill him!" Jack says.

"Hold still, Merida!" Rapunzel hisses.

"Get this thing off me!" Merida shrieks.

"Oh, Odin, oh Odin, Oh Odin…" Hiccup repeats under his breath.

Then the wettest, slimiest, and loudest sound was heard, cutting through their voices. They all went rigid. They all stare at it with stunned silence, mouths hanging open in extreme horror.

They screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack's first thought of Hogwarts was that it was big. An understatement if you asked him, the entrance hall alone could fit ten times the size of his family's apartment complex. It looked better than the ones in his little sister's fairytale picture books. The entire thing was way beyond his imagination; his astonishment could not be contained which was evident by his open jaw.

"It's a lot bigger than I imagined." Hiccup states, looking just as amazed as Jack.

Merida who raised an eyebrow at the two boys, "You going to catch flies in your mouths. Right Rapunzel?" She turned to her left, dumbfounded at the girl who had the same exact expression.

Rapunzel stared at the castle. Her head couldn't grasp the amount of space the entire thing took. She felt a giant smile plastered on her face, her fingers twitching in anticipation. Her life outside her walls was about to begin.

The door swung open. A tall, white haired, and bearded man in red and golden robes stood. On his face was wide grin, wrinkles evident. His hands were gestured in the air, welcoming the students.

"Professor Nicholas St. North," drawled out Professor Bunnymund who magically appeared next to the first years. They were too stunned to feel surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Call me North!" He boomed in a throaty Russian accent. He then gestured the students to enter the hall.

The students followed him, some tripping over onto the carpeted floor. They entered a smaller chamber, separating themselves from the higher years. The first years were packed together in one nervous mess, children whispering onto one another. North stood in front of them, towering over them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" He bellowed, voice echoing into the room. "The banquet will come shortly, but before that you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony."

"The sorting?" echoed Jack. Was it some sort of hazing for eleven-year-olds, he thought.

"Not the kind you're thinking!" North says to him, surprising Jack. "While you're here, you will be sorted into a house, your family in Hogwarts. You will have classes with them, share living sleeping-quarters, and spend time in the house common room."

"There four houses namely Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has produced great witches and wizards. While you study here, your achievements will not be in vain, in such we have the house cup. You will gain in every accomplishment, and lose in any rule breaking. At the end of every year, the house with the most point will win the house cup. We hope that each and every one of you will be a contributing factor to your house's victory." He ended his speech, smiling in mirth, "I shall return, in the meantime, why don't you gather bearings for the ceremony?" Then left the chamber, leaving a resounding slam.

"How exactly do they sort us?" Jack asked Hiccup.

"I'm not quite sure," Hiccup answered honestly, "In durmstrang, they give you this potion and you get simulated into these different tests."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Jack says.

Hiccup swallows a lump, "Oh, they're bad. Trust me."

Jack started feel his palms getting sweating, wiping it against his robes. He looked around the room, noticing that everyone looked visibly anxious. A number of them were whispering spells under their breaths, and some struggling to recall a couple. Jack felt his stomach drop, he had only taken at least a peek at one book, and he cursed his laziness. He looked to his left, Rapunzel was the only who seemed calm in whole room.

"Hey, Rapunzel, you don't seem nervous at all," He says.

The girl looked at him, a smile slipping in her face, "Of course not. I have completed the Hogwarts curriculum when I was six," pointing towards her head, "You've read the books right?" she asks innocently.

He laughed in a clipped tone, smiling wryly at her, "Of course, I do."

The doors opened, revealing a very bright light and slowly it settled. The young first years were swiftly formed in lines, and Jack felt his back hit something, or rather someone.

"Watch where you're going!" Merida hisses, eyes narrowing when she realized it was Jack. "You again."

Jack felt his own anger bubble up, but instead grinds his teeth together. "You bumped into me," he says.

"Are you an idiot? You clearly bumped into me." She indicts.

"Seriously, what is your—" he started, but snapped his mouth shut as he saw a professor pass by.

"You have dirt on your nose by the way," Merida says, who was thoroughly done with the boy, and decides to go ahead in the line. Her bushy red hair was bouncing in every step as she walked.

Jack rolled his eyes. Huffing indignantly, he wiped the side of his nose.

The line soon started moving, heading exiting the chamber, and entering back across the hall, and entered the Great Hall.

Jack's mouth quickly went slack once again. He had never seen anything so grand and marvelous. There were about thousands of candles that were lit overhead, floating over four very long tables that were decorated with golden platter. Lengthy banners were hung over the large arches, and he recognized the animals from the letter on them.

Jack's eyes flickered above, and his eyes bugged out. A starry night sky was what he saw instead of a ceiling. He had never seen so much stars before. White dots twinkled brightly in the dark, and Jack wondered if the Great Hall was a portal to enter heaven.

He heard someone whisper, "It's bewitched to reflect the sky outside, I read it in Hogwarts, a History."

Jack simply thought that there was a reason why it was called the Great Hall.

Jack then leveled his head, and was greeted by the sight of hundreds of students. He averted his eyes to focus on the North who placed a pointed witch's hat on a stool.

Jack's mind quickly swam with guesses, and when he thought a rabbit would pop out. A huge rip appeared near the brim of the hat. Then it started to sing, which oddly enough didn't surprise Jack.

The hat had stopped singing, and the whole room applauded then grew silent once again. North came up to the platform, and carried a large scroll. With the white beard and red robes, Jack would've thought he would start listing off children who were naughty or nice. The large scroll soon unveiled into a rather lengthy parchment paper that reached on to the floor.

"When I call out your name, you will sit on this stool, and be sorted," He said, "Arendelle, Elsa."

A ghostly pale girl with snowy hair soon stumbled out, and sat on the stool, and hat was put on. Then the hat shouts, "SLYTHERIN!"

The table on the left clapped and cheered as Elsa made her way down at the Slytherin table. He heard the person to his left whisper—

"Slytherin? Nasty lot. Not one wizard who ever went bad wasn't in Slytherin," He said disdainfully, almost in a sneer, "If I get into Slytherin, I'm taking the train back home."

Jack frowned at the comment. They couldn't be that bad… could they?

The next person was called, and declared a Hufflepuff.

"DunBroch, Merida"

He saw a familiar fiery red head come onto the front, hair bouncing, and there was a proud grin on her face. He heard the people whisper all around him like a burning kettle.

"DunBroch?" One said, a boy with shaggy blond hair, "She's the one who survived You-know-who?"

Jack asked the boy next to him, and he looked shocked. "You don't know?"

Jack shook his head. The boy came in close, his eyes trained on her. "She was attacked by the Nightmare King. No one has ever survived his attacks, and if they did, they would be like zombies. Totally unresponsive. " He whispered, as if saying it was taboo. "But, she didn't."

"Who's the Nightmare King?" He asked with great interest.

The boy widened his eyes, and looked almost queasy, "He's the darkest wizard known to the world, and that's all I can say."

Merida stood stiff on the stool, the last thing she saw before the hat was dropped onto her was the look of people craning their head at her. Then all she was the pure darkness. She waited.

 _Well, so this is the start of the new line of Dunbroch. Why, Very courageous._

Merida almost jumps in surprise. The voice was something she didn't expect. It was loud and clear, almost as if he was standing before her. Was it talking to her in her head?

 _Yes, I am. Hmm, you don't have a bad mind. You're not that much of a leader, but you have the thirst to prove yourself. Very interesting._

Merida quickly chanted into her mind, NOT SLYTHERIN. Gripping the stool with all her might.

 _Not slytherin? They can help you achieve greatness. With what is in your head, you could make a fine Slytherin._

 _"I definitely don't want to be a slimy slytherin!"_ She thought.

 _No? Well, I guess that would make you a—_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Merida heard the hat yell, and she smiled brightly at her house. She was immensely relieved that she wasn't in Slytherin, and satisfied with her chosen house. "Dracula, Mavis" was put in

"Gothel, Rapunzel"

The golden blonde girl went up to the platform, her braid trailing behind her. She sat on to the stool, and saw Merida giving her a wave. She smiled at her, before the hat was dropped on to her.

 _You have a brilliant mind, not what I expected._

Rapunzel is startled by the unusual clear voice that echoed in her mind. She knew that the hat was psychic, but telepathic was something she could have guessed, she was thoroughly impressed. Was it sapient?

 _Not in that way you understand sapience, perhaps, but I am thinking being._

How curious!

 _You're quite the odd one are you? You're different than most pureblood lines, more so with your family._

Rapunzel wonders about the level of magic it takes to create a sentient being this complex or what kind of spell could even create sentience? Even magic obeys the laws of conservation of mass, and sentience needs more than just energy to be achieved. Surely something would have to be transfigured into neurons.

 _Hey, are you listening?_

Sapience and self-consciousness without self-governance must be a horrible existence. Rapunzel herself couldn't bare the amount of idleness, and she lived in a high tower in the middle of nowhere. Ennui would get the best of her.

 _That's not…_

Rapunzel starts to pity the Sorting Hat, and then struggles with its identity crisis. The purpose of the Sorting Hat doesn't necessarily equate to personal actualization, perhaps, was it happy being a sorting hat? Did it find fulfillment? Or does fulfillment really matter towards sentience?

 _This is not the time to—_

What if it desires more than its intended purpose? The sorting hat seemed that it could be able convey intelligence, but couldn't have the means to express it.

 _Right, fine. You know what?_

"RAVENCLAW!"

Then there's a silence, followed by a hesitant applause, it's slow and scattered and a bit confused.

Rapunzel saunters over to the Ravenclaw table, and then it hits her, quite belatedly. There hasn't been a non-Slytherin Gothel in history of her house, and wonders if her mother will be angry. She spends the rest of the ceremony distressing over it.

"HADDOCK, HICCUP HORRENDOUS"

Snickers soon flooded the room. Hiccup feels the twinge of the annoyance creep into his forehead. He walks shakily on to it, and drops onto stool, but then he tips over backwards, and soon laughter was heard once again.

"He is quite _Horrendous_." One student from Slytherin table snorted. Jack glared at the boy, he immediately realized he was being a hypocrite. Feeling guilty, Jack retreated further back into the crowd.

He thought about which house he was sorted in. His father was in Gryffindor, that wouldn't be bad, or a Ravenclaw either. He pondered over being a Slytherin, and ultimately deciding that it wouldn't be so much of a good idea.

Hiccup quickly fixed himself, and then the hat was dropped. He saw darkness. He waits. For several long seconds, nothing happens.

Hiccup doesn't know if something is supposed to happen, and he's about to say that's not working, before he heard a voice.

 _Another difficult one._

Hiccup thinks the voice just sighed, then wonders about where it's coming from.

 _Let's see, you have the thirst for knowledge and quick wit that is admired and portrayed by that of a Ravenclaw._

Thanks, he thought.

 _You lack courage, but it resides in you deeply. Gryffindor could help you unlock repressed bravery._ _You also possesses the hardworking and loyal nature of a_ _Hufflepuff_ _….Quite difficult._

"Will this take a while?" Hiccup thought grimly

And it took a while, indeed. Jack shuffled his feet as he stared at Hiccup. It had been over five minutes before it finally was finished. He couldn't help but feel curious as to what the Sorting Hat was doing to the poor lad. "HUFFLEPUFF!" The sorting had finally shouted, receiving numerous sighs of relief. He could hear the twins, Ruff and Tuff, yell "Finally, haddock!" while some had stood up from their seats on the floor.

"Hamada, Tadashi!"

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Sorting hat, and Tadashi went to take a sit next to Rapunzel.

Hiccup tries to cover his blush as "Hofferson, Astrid!" comes up, and then she was decided to be a Gryffindor. Many others soon became sorted into different houses. Jack had ceased to pay attention towards it until someone pushed him to the front.

"Overland, Jackson. I presume?" asked North, as he looked down on Jack. He nodded his head, and hopped on to the stool. The hat was soon on him, and it rested over his eyes, shielding from the students before him.

 _You're quite the troublemaker._

Jack heard the voice echo into his mind, and he wondered where it came from.

 _Plenty of courage, not a bad mind either. There's a great deal to prove yourself, a thirst for adventure, and a will to fight. Gryffindor could help you develop that, but–Oh, what do we have here?_

There was a silence, and a moment later the hat spoke up once again.

 _You are a leader. You possess high potential to be, perhaps, an exceptional leader. You're more mature than you let on, and I can see that with the things you have gone through. You could achieve greatness, success even, and the house that could help you on the way for that path is none other than—_

"SLYTHERIN!"

The hat was then pulled off from his head, and there was applause. Jack scampered over to the Slytherin table, sitting next to a fourth year student. He turned towards him, with a smirk.

"Hey, kid." Greeted the older boy, "How you holding up?"

"I feel awesome," He said genuinely, he looked down onto his shirt, and was surprised to see the green and silver stripes of his house on his tie. The last few people were then sorted into their houses, and soon every one was seated. North who stood from his seat, and beamed at the students, his arms wide open, pleased to see them all.

"Welcome all!" He greeted, "Welcome to a new year of Hogwarts, before we begin with the banquet, we shall have a word with our headmaster."

"Wait, he isn't the headmaster?" asked Jack confusedly.

"Deputy headmaster," he said flippantly, "Not like it really matters, he usually does most of the work."

The lights were soon diminished, the candles blown all at once, leaving the glow of the night sky as their source of illumination. The sky was then slowly lowered itself on to them, and the students were all enthralled by the beauty of it. Their shocked faces were enlightened with blue glimmer.

Hiccup slowly poked a star that was before him; it shone brightly from the contact.

Rapunzel studies the formations before her, and she quickly deduces them to be Corona Australis, Sagittarius, and Scorpius.

Merida thinks of the stars as willow wisps, as blue spheres of light float around her.

Jack thinks it's beautiful.

In the middle of it all is the moon, high above their heads. The moon flares slightly as it sends trails of sparkling dust over them, and each of them hear a soft, shallow voice whisper into their ears.

 _When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light._

Then the lights returned, restoring everything the way before. Jack's mouth watered at the sight of dishes piled with food. He had never seen so much food before in his life, living with a big family and a bare minimum; they couldn't have the dream with so much. He had to blink a few times before piling his plate.

"Kid, have you been starving?" said the Slytherin, as he chewed on some potatoes. "For a tiny guy like you, you sure have an appetite."

"I don't exactly eat like this everyday." Jack said, gulping. "I can't conjure stuff like this."

"Why not, don't your parents know how?" He asked, although Jack noticed a bit of bitterness in it. "Or house elves?"

"My parents aren't wizards," Jack said.

"Woah, there," The boy leaned forward, covering Jack's mouth with his hand. He whispers low enough for just the both of them, "You can't say stuff like that out loud here."

"Why does that matter?" Jack asked, pulling the hand of his face. "I'm a wizard aren't I?"

"Well, you see, our crowd isn't exactly the most accepting to Muggle-borns, a bit sensitive about it." He said, eyebrows rising in each word. "You're lucky I'm telling you this, who knows what would have happen if you told someone else."

"What makes you so special then?" Jack asked with interest, "Since you're so 'accepting'."

The boy laughs, clapping a hand to Jack's back, and Jack had to hold down a grunt from the impact. "That's another story for another time."

Jack frowned.

Merida sipped her cup. The Gryffindors were currently listening to the their resident ghost, Headless Nick. Merida glanced at her barely finished slice of steak, and shuddered from the memory of the Ghost showing his 'trick'.

Soon the food faded away from their plates, and the plates were left sparkling clean. The desserts were delivered, and were placed on top of the plates. As Merida tried to pick up a tart, the talk slowly then drifted to families.

"Speaking of royal families, we have a princess," spoke one Gryffindor on her left, then all eyes on her. Merida narrowed her eyes at all of them, then stuffed the tart into her mouth. "I aim a pwinchwues." She said, bits of the pastry flying from the mouth.

"What was that, red?" asked the blonde girl next to her, musing. She recognized her as Astrid Hofferson.

She swallowed the tart, and says. "I'm not a princess, I'm a warrior."

"A warrior you say, how?"

"I can take you down in five seconds, tops." She said with a grin.

"I doubt that," Astrid said, her eyes glinting with challenge, "I'm from Berk, if you didn't know. I've learned how to fight the moment I learned how to walk."

"Berk, huh? You're long way from home, girly." She said. "If you didn't know, I learned how to shoot an arrow the moment I was born."

Astrid extremely miffed at the last word, and brought her fist down onto the table. Startling the other students, who now were watching them with great interest.

"You and me." She said, positing her arm in a right angle. Merida smiled deviously, and slammed her own fist on to the table, and gripped strongly on to Astrid's hand. The students gasped at the long scar that was evident on Merida's arm. Three giant claw marks were on the pale skin, it had healed, but the tissue was very still damaged beyond being fully repaired.

They all started whispering to one another, "That's where You-know-who…"

"She really does exist." "That looked like it hurt really bad." And some others had moved their seats and craned their head to her.

Astrid glance at it, then returned her gaze on to Merida. "The Girl Who Lived, it's an honor to meet you." She said with mirth.

"Let's get this over with Hofferson," she said irritably.

Hiccup picks on his food despite the grand banquet that was laid out for him, not having the appetite. The boy behind him, who was luckily enough his only friend in Berk, was sorted in Ravenclaw. Fishlegs was a round-faced boy with a mop of blonde hair, and leafy green eyes, and it was always quite a scene for Hiccup was puny compared to him.

"Hic, why aren't you eating?" Fishlegs asks, stuffing a cake into his face. "This stuff is better than the ones in Berk."

"That's cause sugar is a luxury in Berk," He said in a-matter-of-fact way, and picked up container. "These guys have bottles full of them, and I hear there's something called a coffee shop. They have packets, weirdly enough."

"When you start stating facts, there's something wrong." He says.

"That's common knowledge."

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'm thinking about how disappointed my dad is when I send him an owl about not getting in Gryffindor while everyone else is." He said honestly.

"I doubt your dad will be even surprised," Fishlegs said airily, and then winced when Hiccup turned fully to gave him a flat look, "Sorry, but Hiccup, there wasn't any hope for the both of us."

"Hey, the Sorting Hat seriously thought of putting me in Gryffindor." He argued weakly.

Fishlegs chewed while he talked, as Hiccup couldn't quite understand what he was saying. "What?"

Fishlegs swallowed, then says, "I'm happy I'm with my choice, Gyrffindor is a bit intimidating for me anyways, just be happy with what you get."

"Oh gee, it's not like I'm going to spend seven years in it or anything."

Fishlegs sighed, "Complaining will get you nowhere."

"This awfully feels like déjà vu." Hiccup commented. His eyes wandered towards the girl who was two seats away from Fishlegs. He recognized the long blonde braid anywhere.

"Hey Rapunzel." He greeted, it was weird that he didn't feel awkward towards her. He felt comfortable to talk to her, and so he did.

She turned around to face him fully, and smiled brightly, "Hiccup, hi!"

Hiccup felt a smile grace his features from her, "Ravenclaw, can't say I'm surprised."

She giggled, and Hiccup thought it was a bit forced, "Well, here I am."

"Oh, and um, I really liked your idea about electricity available in the wizarding world…It's quite brilliant."

"Well, it's not exactly a giant leap from a normal person's view. Electricity is quite essential to the twenty-first century, I mean the muggle world is getting much more acquainted to technology, and who's to say Wizards can't be too?" She said, but then thought that this was based on from current events, she hasn't exactly ventured out further. "Franklin managed to conjure electricity from a simple kite. It's a shame electricity goes haywire in magical environments…"

Hiccup listened intently with each word she said until the deputy headmaster stood up, and spoke, "Now that you're all fed and watered, I have some things to say,"

"The forest on the grounds are prohibited to all students, no magic should be used between classes in the corridors, Quidditch try-outs will be held in the second week." He said, prepared to leave before he returned.

"I almost forgot! The fourth corridor in the right wing will be prohibited, and for those who do venture will suffer a painful death. That is all, thank you and have a good evening."

The room was silent save for the few had chuckled, albeit some were that of uneasiness.

Jack snorted, "Is he for real? Does he really expect people not to do that?"

The Slytherin boy whipped his to face him, pursing his lips, "I don't know, usually he cites reasons for any restricted areas. It must be pretty serious."

Jack tried to bite back the grin that was forming in his face.

Hiccup furrowed his brows at the last announcement. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He heard students whisper to one another, curiosity burning their minds, and he felt the same compelling force to wander in it.

.

.

.

The Gryffindor prefect, a blue haired boy named Sully, ushered them to the common room. He directed the girls to their dormitories where there were five beds, and their trunks already been brought up. Too tired to walk, Merida fell down onto her bed in ease. Her arm hanging by the edge, fingers were burning from pain.

Astrid sat on the next bed, stretching her body like a cat. She slowly undid her braid. She glanced at Merida's lifeless-like form. Her entire body was sinking down onto the velvety mattress.

"Hey, Red." She shook her shoulder, stirring a grunt from the girl. "You might suffocate."

She heard a sound that indistinctly sounded like 'I don't care.'

Astrid changed into her pajamas. Her wavy blonde hair cascaded down onto her shoulders. "Hey, you think North was joking?"

"Mmmm?" Merida hummed, propping her chin on her arms.

"About the corridor," She said, combing through the tangles. "Seems a bit strange."

"Probably," Merida yawned loudly, She rolled over on her back. "I've been to asking you something."

"What is it?"

"Berk's pretty far," Merida says, "and I know Durmstrang is probably the closest to it. You're pretty tough too."

"Berk is a close knit-community, so pureblood wizards are dwindling." Astrid laughed sardonically, hugging her legs to herself. "Durmstang is for pure-bloods only. Everyone from Berk who comes here is either half or muggles like me."

"That seems a bit unfair."

"Well, I'm happy here." She says, with a smirk. "I don't get to put up with snooty pure-bloods."

Merida chuckled, she could get used to Astrid. "You know, I don't get this blood status thing anyways. I think muggles born with powers have it for a reason."

"You mean fate?" Astrid asks.

Merida thought for a moment, and then stared at the night sky outside the window.

"Yeah."

.

.

.

 _Dear Mother,_

 _Hogwarts is a great place. I saw the stars and they were so close to me. I could touch them with my fingertips. They remind me of the sky outside my tower._

 _It really is beautiful._

 _Hogwarts is everything you described me, but it is still a shock how large the castle is. I hope to explore more of it. The Ravenclaw tower…. sorry, I forgot to mention that, I got sorted in Ravenclaw. It's a rather big shock for you. I'm sorry for not getting into Slytherin like you wanted to, or the members of our family before you. The Sorting hat is a wise being, it is his purpose after all, it possesses sapience…I apologize again, I do not wish to bore you with my useless ramblings, mother. I think Ravenclaw is a good house for me. I have made some friends in the house. They are great. I've beat them in wizarding chess. It was fun._

 _I also made some friends outside my house. They're a very strange bunch. People I have never thought could exist. They also have a great sense of humor. It's getting late. It's lights off for now. I'll come back for the holidays._

 _I love you._

 _Your flower,_

 _Rapunzel_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **PShhhh, subtle exposition here and there. Pft.**

 **As if I pulled that off. xD**


End file.
